All reports, including the reporter information is kept extremely confidential and will not be disclosed to any parties, except to the professionals involved.

Call 1-800-962-2873.

Phone Options:

Press 1 to report suspected abuse, neglect or abandonment of a child

Press 2 to report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of the elderly or a vulnerable adult

Press 3 to verify the identity of a child protective investigator who recently visited you

Press 4 for information/referrals to other services in your local area.

Be prepared to provide specific descriptions of the incident(s) or the circumstances contributing to the risk of harm, including who was involved, what occurred, when and where it occurred, why it happened, the extent of any injuries sustained, what the victim(s) said happened, and any other pertinent information are very important. Information callers should have ready includes:

1. Name, date of birth (or approximate age), race, and gender, for all adults and children involved.

2. Addresses or another means to locate the subjects of the report, including current location.

4. Relationship of the alleged perpetrator to the child or adult victim(s).

5. Other relevant information that would expedite an investigation, such as directions to the victim (especially in rural areas) and potential risks to the investigator, should be given to the Abuse Hotline Counselor.

6. For a complete list of information please see the What We Need to Know page.

WEB REPORTING:

Web reporting should not be used for situations requiring immediate attention. Please contact the Hotline’s toll free reporting number if you believe a child or vulnerable adult is at imminent risk of harm.

To make a report via the Florida Abuse Hotline’s web reporting option, please gather all of your information in advance and click the following link to access the web reporting option:

Telephone reporters will always be told prior to concluding your conversation, whether the information provided has been accepted as a report.

Advocacy Campaigns

PINWHEELS FOR PREVENTION:

For two decades, market research consistently has shown that the public views child abuse and neglect as a serious problem. Prevent Child Abuse, a national organization whose mission is "to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children," emphasizes how to transform that awareness into action. Prevent Child Abuse uses the pinwheel as an image that reminds us of childlike notions and stands for the chance at the healthy, happy, and full lives all children deserve.

Pinwheels for Prevention began as a grassroots campaign among our chapters in Georgia, Florida, and Ohio. Their success and our desire to create a national symbol for child abuse and neglect prevention led us to take this effort nationwide in 2008.

A Spanish organization called Fundación ANAR, or Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk, created a bus-stop advertisement in April that features the group's hotline number for children to report abuse. But by using a process called lenticular photography, the company made the hotline number, and much of the ad's content, visible only to those under a certain height -- presumably children.

Lenticular photography allows companies to create an image in a way that lets viewers see one of several different photos, depending on where they're standing. In the case of ANAR's ad, anyone taller than 4 feet 5 inches -- the average height of a 10-year-old, according to the group -- would see a picture of a boy with an unmarked face and the following message: "Sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it." Anyone under that height would see an image of the boy with a bruised face, the organization's hotline number in white text, and the message, "If somebody hurts you, phone us and we'll help you."

Did you know that most child victims suffer abuse at the hands of someone they know and trust? Someone that YOU know and trust? We teach our kids not to talk to strangers...but how do we teach them to be safe around the people that they trust – and that we trust. The first step to preventing abuse against our children is awareness and education. As more parents, professionals and community members learn about the realities of child abuse, the effort to combat this serious problem gains strength.

Talk to your child.

Teach your children that the parts of their body that a bathing suit covers are private parts and that no one is allowed to see or touch them there.

Encourage your child to talk to you about any touch that makes them feel uncomfortable

Use everyday situations to keep the conversations about personal safety ongoing.

Protect Your Child on the Internet.

Learn about the websites your children use regularly. Visit websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and others. See what other kids are doing there and how much information you can learn by doing simple searches. Parents need to be aware of what is happening on-line.

Learn as much as you can about the issues of Internet Safety (look under our Tools & Resources section for websites to help with this).

Keep computers in common rooms of the house. Many children have laptops and computers in their bedrooms, allowing them many opportunities to spend hours on-line, potentially engaging in inappropriate behavior.

Set the rules about internet safety and your values early on. Teach young children that they should not seek our relationships from on-line friends and that they should NEVER meet on-line friends in the real world.

Make any topic of conversation an acceptable topic of conversation. Many teens and pre-teens seek out adult relationships on-line. Ensure that your child has a support system in the real world.

Familiarize yourself with the policies and practices of organizations where your children spend time.

Confirm background checks are conducted on all employees and volunteers.

Ensure policies are in place that prohibit situations where an adult can be alone with your child in one room when no one else is around.